Southwest Airlines Deserves an Award

This week, Southwest Airlines made an announcement that left the majority of travelers overjoyed and created a profound sense of hope that their bold move will become a standard for all airlines sometime soon.

Southwest Airlines announced an update to their “customers of size” policy that passengers who encroach upon the neighboring seat will be required to purchase an extra seat. They specify that the armrest is considered the definitive boundary between the seats. In other words, if you are obese and you can’t fit in a seat without parts of your body crossing the armrest, you have to buy two seats.

This move is a bold one and should be applauded. Finally, an airline with common sense has made a decision that provides peace of mind and a better travel experience for the majority of passengers. 

Over the years, I have traveled on hundreds of commercial flights, both domestically and internationally. I can tell you one thing for certain. There is nothing worse than being forced to sit next to an obese person whose body parts are touching yours. It’s probably one of the most horrible experiences you can have and it makes an already miserable situation, even more unbearable.

Flying commercially is an outright horrible experience, the majority of the time. You are stuck in a small metal tube, forced to sit inches away from complete strangers and often have to deal with socially clueless people who give no consideration to the people around them. You’re cramped, uncomfortable and I dread the experience every time I have to fly. The older I get, the more I despise it.

The new policy by Southwest has certainly drawn criticism. People claim that it’s not fair for obese people to have to purchase two seats. People claim it “shames” overweight passengers. People say it puts an unnecessary financial burden on obese passengers. While that criticism may be justified, the real question is, is it fair for the majority of passengers who can fit into a seat to be forced to have a complete stranger's body touching theirs?

Here is the candid reality of this situation. Being morbidly obese is a personal choice. If someone wants to live a lifestyle that causes them to be unable to fit into an airplane seat, that is their own choice. If they choose to live that way, that decision should not negatively impact those around them. In the case of airlines, obesity not only impacts other passengers in a negative way, it is immoral for someone to have a stranger's body touching theirs.

I applaud Southwest for this decision and travelers should reward Southwest for this new policy by choosing them the next time you fly. This marks the first time an airline had the courage to stand up and do what is right, regardless of the negative backlash. This decision is yet another example of why Southwest Airlines ranked highest in customer satisfaction in the economy/basic economy segment by J.D. Power in 2025 for a fourth consecutive year. My prediction is this new policy will keep Southwest at the top of the customer satisfaction charts for years to come, especially if other airlines keep allowing obese passengers to ruin other travelers' flying experiences.

I would highly encourage other airlines to follow suit and I would also encourage the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy to have the FAA make the new Southwest seat policy mandatory for all airlines.

Chris Thompson’s (christhompsnh@gmail.com) column is published weekly on www. www.graniteeaglepress.com and howiecarrshow.com